Since my last bona fide blog entry, the entire world has changed.
That seems like a hyperbolic statement, but it’s really not. Based on my admittedly limited knowledge, COVID-19 was still mostly contained on another continent with just the merest hint of landing on my shores. It was more an idea than any real threat. (Chalk it up to American arrogance, if you want. We got plenty of it, after all.) When it did land here, it was over there on the other coast.
And then suddenly it was a pandemic. Many places, including where I live, are in full or partial lock-down to try to contain the infection. (I am one of those who still has to JOB during all this, even though I don’t think my industry is all that essential.) Still, there are people out there — let’s call them idiots — who think themselves so invincible that they have ignored all of the warnings, all the professional medical advice, even all the executive orders, and are still out there gathering, spreading their germs and possibly bringing COVID-19 home to their loved ones.
I know everyone is already saying this, but for the love of all that exists in your world… STAY THE FNARG HOME!
(And that’s as political as I ever hope to get in this blog.)
As to the title of this entry: Well, I mentioned in the last real entry that Comedy of Terrors* would be released on March 19. That just happened to be the day that here in California the hammer fell and everyone was ordered to stay home. I let all the automated systems put the ebook out, and one person bought it the very next day. I am sure that every single sale my books have made has been someone I know. Only… the Kindle buyer is not fessing up.
Maybe someone accidentally stumbled across Seeing Red*, got brain damage from it, and bought Comedy of Terrors, too. Anything is possible, I guess.
Full disclosure: Around the time of my book release, I got sick with a plague. Not THE PLAGUE — there were some very dissimilar symptoms, and I was watching closely at the time — but it was enough to keep me out from JOB for two days. I went back in on a Friday and was promptly sent home and ordered not to return until all signs of illness were gone.
Thing is, whenever I get sick, there is always a residual cough that lasts a week or more. That cough, specifically, is what kept me home for another full week. In that time, I re-watched the entirety of the Infinity Saga, minus The Incredible Hulk — I just don’t care for that character as a solo act. Also, Norton was not a good Banner, and his ego kind of ruined the movie. It wasn’t bad… just not my glass of water.
WRITING IN PUBLIC
April is the first of two Camp NaNoWriMo sessions. Starting this year, Camp has been integrated into the main NaNoWriMo site. While I am not participating myself, the increased activity in the local writing group I’m in has kind of peer pressured me into a little bit of writing.
I know, SHOCKER!
During my sick days at the end of March, I participated in a couple of the online write-ins that our local writing group put together in lieu of meeting at their normal place. You know… plague. Because of that, I wrote about 75% of a short story I haven’t decided to do anything with. I reached a point where I wondered how far to go in a certain aspect of it, and after talking to my writer friend Angie* the path is now clear. I might write the rest of the story in this Sunday’s online write-in.
Then this past Sunday, I wrote the opener of a generic fantasy story based on a premise I saw in a social media post at some point. The Cleric of your party has a dream that your Fighter has been possessed by a demon. This is another one that I haven’t decided to do anything with. I may not even finish it, because while the premise is interesting to me (hence my writing the opening dream sequence), I don’t know that I am up for world-building or coming up with an actual story to go with it. I do know that they would take her dream seriously, since she worships a goddess known as the All-Seer. I will think on it some more before I continue or scrap it.
GAMING THINGS
Obviously, because of the plague, game stores are either closed or doing limited curb-side service kind of business. Maybe in some areas with fewer executive orders in place they are still open but maybe not allowing the gaming areas to be utilized.
Here in Southern California, my group’s venue of choice, which is a Student Union building on a local campus, was among the first to close. Also, before I got sick one of the other members was sick, so we had already canceled our March game day. We would have rescheduled, but plague.
Meanwhile, the weekly group’s events have been canceled indefinitely. The comic shop we have them at is closed (with limited curbside service and by-mail delivery option), and the gaming area was already closed before that.
For the moment, my gaming has all been of the video variety. I have been playing some EverQuest II with my Evil Twin. She needs her Meat Shield™, which is code for my Berserker character, to help her with some of her higher-level quests. Which my character is not high enough to attempt. She has “down-leveled” herself so she can quest with me until I get there.
I have also played a small amount of Sims 4, but not the household I was once posting to YouTube. I’m experimenting with some of the more recent packs that have been released, which blew right past me when I wasn’t looking. I still have not sent anyone to University or even looked at the new island world. When you’re constantly playing like I was back in the Sims 2 days, new packs meant exploring each new pack as it came. When you are only playing from time to time (like nowadays), you get several new packs at once and you’re overwhelmed. Now that I think about it, that happened toward the end of Sims 3, as well. That’s why my other YouTube series was geared toward the Future pack. I picked an aspect and decided to explore it.
I should pick up YouTube again.
I am looking into getting Tabletop Simulator for members of my board game group so we can play Pathfinder even in the apocalypse. Obviously there will be other factors at play. Like the fact that some people no longer have computers. Everyone does things on their phones now. I’ll have to check with my crew to see if anyone falls into that category. If we can make it work, there will be another learning curve as we learn how to manipulate the cards the way we want to. It won’t be as tactile as playing in person.
But it will be better than not playing at all, n’est-ce pas?
(Apologies to any of my French neighbors who noted my lack of a cedilla in that phrase. I am too lazy to look it up in the character map.)
WRAPPING UP
However you are being affected by this awful plague, I hope you are staying well, staying sane, and most importantly staying home when not needed for JOB or FOOD. If you are trapped with loved ones, play a game! If you are trapped in isolation, play a solo game! Read a book, or even write one! (Any joker can do that. I’m proof.) Watch the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Disney+ or watch that series no one can shut up about on *insert streaming service name here*. (I don’t have a specific one in mind. But they exist.)
No matter what, be well. Be kind. Be patient.
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